


His Name Was Yue

by sweetmars03



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gay Sokka (Avatar), M/M, Male Yue, basically what if yue was a dude, my excuse to make sokka gay, that's rough buddy, zuko and sokka platonically bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetmars03/pseuds/sweetmars03
Summary: It’s quiet in the balloon, as they sail over white clouds through the night sky.There’s a full moon glowing above them, gentle beams illuminating their path, and the way Sokka’s looking at it, is what finally compels Zuko to speak.“I know I’m not supposed to ask but…”
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar)
Kudos: 18





	His Name Was Yue

**Author's Note:**

> My list of works in progress is several pages long however instead of working on any of those I wrote this in the span of about two hours because for some reason I woke up this morning and the thought of Yue being Sokka's boyfriend would not leave my mind.

The fire crackled merrily, accompanying the sound of everyone’s absent minded conversation.

Zuko still felt somewhat alien in the environment, a sentiment not helped by Katara’s frosty attitude towards him, but it was starting to dissipate underneath the overwhelmingly relaxed vibes of everyone else. You’d be hard pressed to think any of them was dining with an enemy.

Especially Sokka, who, of course, had wasted no time in poking fun at Zuko.

He really didn’t mind it that much. Between his sister and his father Zuko had heard much more grievous insults about his person, and in a weird way it made him feel welcome. Like Sokka wasn’t afraid that the firebender would burn his face to match if he made fun of his scar.

He wouldn’t.

Probably.

Still, he couldn’t take everything laying down, even if he was fairly sure this was all in good fun. So when Sokka asked him what his girlfriend thought of the scar Zuko shot back with: “At least I have a girlfriend; where’s yours?”

Granted, Zuko didn’t have vast experience in the realm of friendly banter and his voice tended to sound flat no matter what the intended tone was, but he was smiling easily and he thought it was clear enough that he meant no real offense by this.

However, to his mounting horror, Sokka’s face not only fell from it’s jovial expression into a mask made of stone (that Zuko hadn’t even been aware the water tribe boy was capable of) but he immediately put down his plate, stood, and marched off without another word.

Zuko glanced around quickly, trying to gauge just how badly he had screwed up by the others’ expressions, but he found them all staring at their plates like they were considering following in Sokka’s footsteps and abandoning their food. He wasn’t entirely surprised that he just ruined another conversation, as it seemed that was the only thing he was capable of doing since age thirteen.

Only Toph seemed unfazed, but then again, she was Toph. 

He was about to ask… something, he still wasn’t sure what, but just as he was going to open his mouth, Katara made as if to stand up and follow her brother before Aang put out his arm to stop her.

“I think he might want to be alone for a bit.” Katara looks ready to fight this but at Aang’s earnest look, she lets it go. She turns instead to glare at Zuko and there’s something different about it this time. The icy fury is there sure, with the same sharp edge of protectiveness but there’s something else too. Something that grieves.

She leaves anyway, but in the direction of her tent.

Aang still wasn’t looking at Zuko when the firebender finally mustered up the courage to say: “I’m sorry?” He was more than a little confused to say the least but he hadn’t meant to hurt Sokka.

Aang sighed. “It’s fine, just… we don’t talk about that. About Sokka and-” he cuts himself off and rather than finishing his sentence he makes a fluttering gesture with his hand. When Zuko realizes Aang is not going to say anything else he takes this to mean romance in a broad sense.

“Yeah,” Toph finally spoke, startling Zuko, who had almost forgotten she was there. “Gets him all twisted up and sensitive for some reason. Don’t worry about it, I learned that the hard way too.” She proceeds to punch his shoulder, which hurt but he would never tell her that.

* * *

It’s quiet in the balloon, as they sail over white clouds through the night sky.

There’s a full moon glowing above them, gentle beams illuminating their path, and the way Sokka’s looking at it is what finally compels Zuko to speak.

“I know I’m not supposed to ask but…”

But it’s hard not to overhear things, and piece them together and wonder.

This had not been the first time Zuko had caught Sokka out of bed late at night, but that time the water tribe boy hadn’t been going anywhere. Zuko hadn’t meant to eavesdrop and as soon as he realized what was happening he had left as quickly as humanly possible.

Sokka had been talking to the moon, his voice small and lonely in the vast silence of midnight but gentle and affectionate and so devastated Zuko was momentarily convinced it wasn’t him.

And Zuko remembered what his uncle had told him about the Siege of the North.

The moon had died. And someone had taken her place.

So when Sokka doesn’t say anything, Zuko decides to change tactics.

“I think I get it. I had to leave a girl back home too. I just want you to know, you’re not alone if you miss her.”

Sokka had turned back to face him while Zuko was talking. There was a strange look of apprehension in his eyes before he sighed deeply.

“Him.” He says simply, as he looks out towards the celestial light high above him once more. “I miss him.”

The rest of Zuko’s train of thought collapses instantly and the words are out of his mouth before he can think to stop them,

“I didn’t know you were-”

“I’m not.” Sokka cuts him off sharply, but he takes a deep breath and his tone is calm again the next time he speaks. “At least… I don’t think so. I’ve only ever felt that way about him.”

Sokka suddenly looks distinctly uncomfortable, wrapping his arms tightly around himself and Zuko scrambles for some way to make sure he doesn’t regret opening up to him.

“Do you… want to tell me about him?”

For a second Zuko thinks this is the wrong thing to say but then a small smile makes its way onto Sokka’s face, and even though Zuko can still see the way they’re tinged with pain, his eyes sparkle.

“He thought I was so funny. He laughed at all my jokes, even the bad ones, but I never minded cause I loved hearing him laugh. And he was always so composed and proper because he was the prince but when it was just the two of us, I got to see a side of him no one else could. He was sweet and kind and loyal to his people, but he was also sassy and strong and handsome.”

There’s a dreamy, far-off quality to the look in Sokka’s eyes. “He was so handsome.” He says, softer this time.

“He could always make me feel like… like everything was going to be okay. Like if we just stuck together nothing could ever go wrong again.”

Zuko knows, but he asks anyway.

“What happened to him?”

Sokka’s face is a cross between anguish and anger. “I… I couldn’t protect him. I told him I’d keep him safe and I failed.”

His voice is tight, like there’s a knot in his throat, but he suddenly snorts derisively. “How lame is that, huh? My first boyfriend turned into the moon.”

This isn’t new information to Zuko, but it doesn’t make it any easier to come up with a response. Eventually he settles on: “That’s rough buddy.” He feels stupid saying it but it seems to comfort Sokka a bit.

There’s a short silence as Zuko processes the conversation until he realizes something.

“What was his name?”

Sokka had been staring at the horizon again, and it seems at first he didn’t hear Zuko. He was on the verge of repeating himself when Sokka whispered, soft as the clouds, or the breeze or the still shining moon.

“Yue. His name was Yue.”


End file.
